The Call
by Jennifer Catlin DiNozzo
Summary: After all these years, she decided to call. What she wasn't expecting was for a woman to answer. What he hadn't expected was for her to call. What he wondered is what he thought her reaction was to Taylor, his 16 year old niece answering instead of him.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so today has been a pretty good day for you readers out there. Two uploads from me in one day. Wow. That's a record. Anyways, I had this idea a few months ago at like 3am, so I jotted it down and totally forgot about it . . . until like 4 hours ago. And the result was my muse surfacing for about an hour or so, therefore, I wrote this. Hope you like it. I own Taylor. Nothing else. So sad.

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><p>She finally mustered up the courage to call.<p>

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"I must have the wrong number."

"And may I ask who you were trying to reach?"

"Anthony DiNozzo." she said timidly

"No, this is the DiNozzo residence. But he's out right now. Would you like me to tell him you called?"

"Uh, yes, if you could." _Although, why would he want to call her back? Looks like he found someone else._

"I'm sorry, what is your name?"

"Uh, Sophie, Sophie Rainer."

"Got it. I will tell him."

"Thank you. Have a nice day."

Click.

Ziva sighed, knowing that he will know that she had called, and while on the verge of tears, she knew that she had missed her chance.

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><p>"Taylor, I'm home!"<p>

"Hi, Uncle Tony."

Ever since his sister had passed away, Taylor had been his. Her mom had left all parental rights and guardianship to him of all people. Taylor's dad had left before she was even born, so Tony had helped raise

his sister raise her, until he moved from Baltimore to D.C., and joined NCIS.

"How was your day?"

"It was good. Nothing too exciting. Just nice to be out of school."

"Yeah, I bet. So, any preferences on dinner, kiddo?"

"Can we get Chinese?"

"Sure. The usual?"

"Yep. Oh, and Uncle Tony?"

"Yeah, Taylor?"

"Someone called for you today. Sophie. Uh, Sophie Rainer."

Tony's face looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Uncle Tony, you okay?"

He ran a hand over his face and let out a sigh.

"Yeah, Taylor. I'll be okay. Um, you didn't happen to jot that number down by any chance did you?"

"I got it. I am a much better message taker than you, you know."

"The number please?"

"Okay, okay, Mr. Anxious. Who is this Sophie?"

Tony gladly accepted the slip of paper and placed it in his pocket.

"A friend."

Taylor gave him a mischievous grin.

"Really? Where did you meet her?"

"Work."

The doorbell rang, signaling to the pair that their food had arrived. Tony got up to answer it, attempting to avoid the next question on the tip of Taylor's tongue.

They ate their meal in a comfortable silence. When they finished and cleaned up, Tony was picking out a movie when Taylor popped the next question.

"She was your partner wasn't she?"

Tony froze. Turning on his heal, he faced his niece with a quizzical look plastered on his face.

"And what makes you think that?"

Taylor smirked. "The way you reacted when I mentioned her name."

"Oh. Alright. Yeah, she was my partner." Tony said almost mechanically.

Suddenly, the mood of the conversation changed.

"Hey kiddo. You know what?" Tony stifled a yawn. "I don't think I'm up for a movie tonight. It's been a long day and we've caught a somewhat difficult case."

"Okay, Uncle Tony. It's fine. I think we've watched them all anyway."

They both laughed.

"Goodnight, Uncle Tony. Love you."

Tony pulled Taylor into a hug and kissed her head. "Night, kiddo. And Taylor, you don't have to call me Uncle. Tony's fine."

"Okay . . . Tony."

"Love you, Taylor."

He flipped off her light and began his way to the door.

"Tony?"

"Yeah?" He said from down the hall.

"Can I go to work with you tomorrow? Being in this apartment all day gets kinda boring."

"Yeah, Taylor, that's fine. Abby's been begging me to bring you anyway. She'll be excited to see you, as will everyone else. I gotta be in early so get some sleep, alright?"

"Alrighty. Night." Taylor said enthusiastically.

Tony chucked. "Night kiddo."

After taking a shower and changing, Tony lay awake in his bed. He couldn't believe she had called. He couldn't believe he had missed her call either. And he wondered how she reacted when Taylor had

answered. Oh God, he thought. She must have thought that Taylor was . . . . he couldn't even fathom what she could have thought.

He looked at the clock. How on earth did it get to be one in the morning? He had been laying there thinking about her for almost 2 hours. He definitely missed her more than he thought he had. And he hadn't

heard that name in God knows how long. He sighed as he flipped off his light. Tomorrow was going to be on heck of a day. He was going to call her back. No matter how much it hurt him to know that she had

moved on so long ago, he was going to call her.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, it seems as if everyone likes this so far. So here's the second chapter. Hope you like it.

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><p>"Morning."<p>

Taylor padded into the kitchen as Tony was making coffee.

"Morning, Taylor. Sleep well?" He said, stifling a yawn.

"Slept fine. You?"

"Not so much. How about you go get ready. We've gotta leave soon, and Gibbs will kill me if I'm late today."

"Not if I'm with you he won't. He loves me." Taylor grinned as she walked back to her room to get ready.

Tony was glad that Taylor was coming to work with him today. Abby had been bugging him all week to bring her.

The coffee was finally done, so he poured two to-go mugs, one for Taylor and one for himself.

"Taylor!" He called for the thousandth time.

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Tony let out a sigh of relief as Taylor emerged from her room and made her way towards the door.

"So, did you call her back?"

"Who?"

Taylor had picked up the infamous Gibbs glare and was reproducing it fairly well at this point.

"Oh. Uh, not yet."

She rolled her eyes and looked out the window as the early morning traffic whizzed by them.

"What?" Her uncle asked questioning her reaction to his answer.

"Oh, nothing. It just seemed like she meant a lot to you, so I figured . . ."

"I'll call her back, eventually."

"Okaaayy. Whatever you say."

The rest of the drive to the Navy Yard was quiet. Taylor was surprised that her uncle had yet to call back his old partner, although she was pretty sure that they had been much more than partners. Tony, on the other hand, was wrapped up in memories; memories of her, of _them_.

"Tony?"

Tony blinked a few times, bringing himself back to reality. He saw that they had reached the Navy Yard and had arrived at the gate at which the security guard was asking for his I.D.

"Uh, yeah. There you go."

The guard looked down at his badge and I.D. then back at Tony, confirming they were one in the same, and returned his credentials

"Have a nice day, Mr. DiNozzo."

After parking the 'Stang, Tony and Taylor made their way to the NCIS lobby to retrieve Taylor's visitor pass, then to the elevator that would take them up to the bullpen.

"After you say Hi to Gibbs, McGee, Kate, and Jen okay, kiddo?"

"Alright. I haven't seen the team in a while."

"It's only been about a month since you last saw them, Taylor."

"I know, but it seems like so long ago!"

Ding.

"DiNozzo. You better have a good excuse . . ."

"Hi, Gibbs!"

Gibbs turned around and saw that Tony was not alone on this early Tuesday morning. He smiled, knowing why DiNozzo was late.

"Hey, Taylor." Gibbs said, emerging from behind his desk to hug her.

Tony moved toward his desk and sat his things down just as McGee came flying past him.

"Boss, Lt. Jones had another email account. Oh hey, Taylor. Didn't see you there. How've you been, kid?"

"I've been good, Tim! You look good." Taylor said as she moved to give McGee a hug as well.

"Thanks. You do, too."

"Is that a certain sixteen year old I hear interrupting our investigation?" Kate said, strolling into the bullpen with fresh coffee and bagels.

"Hey, Kate! Oh, bagels. Can I?"

"Go ahead." Kate replied as she hugged the rambunctious teen.

"Tony, you didn't tell me she was coming in with you today."

"Well, Kate, she was tired of being locked up in my apartment all day."

The bullpen fell silent suddenly, as Kate looked up towards the cat walk.

"Mr. DiNozzo, why didn't you tell me that we were going to have a visitor today?"

Tony turned around with a sheepish grin plastered on his face.

"Well, Director, quite frankly, I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Taylor, why don't you come up to my office so your uncle and the team can get back to work?"

The team all said their goodbyes to Taylor before she made her way up to Jen's office.

"Don't forget to go and see Abby. She'll have a cow if she finds out you are here and she doesn't see you." Tony reminded her.

"I will. Don't worry, Tony. I will."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"McGee!" Gibbs barked.

"Yes, Boss?"

"Can you trace any emails in Lt. Jones' other account?"

"I can try, Boss."

"Well, do it then."

"Yes, Boss."

"So, Taylor, how have you been?"

"I've been good, Jen. You?"

"I've been pretty good. I guess being stuck in Tony's apartment all day got to be a bit boring, huh?"

"Yeah, especially since I've seen every single one of his movies."

Jen and Taylor both chuckled. Taylor was definitely a DiNozzo.

"Jenny? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Taylor. What is it?"

"Yester - . . ."

"Taylor!"

Taylor turned around to see none other than Abby bursting through the Director's door.

"Abby!"

She jumped up out of her chair and hugged her Goth friend.

"It's so good to see you! Tony didn't even tell me you were coming! Well, until like five minutes ago when he called me telling me you were up here. But I have so much to tell you and you need to tell me everything about you. I haven't seen you in like a month and a lot happens in a month- . . ."

"Abby!" Both Jen and Taylor interrupted.

"Okay, okay. I'll breathe."

"Thank you. Now, Taylor, what were you saying?"

"Oh, right." Taylor returned to her seat, followed by Jen, and Abby sat down beside her.

"Well, yesterday, while Tony was at work, someone called for him."

Both Jen and Abby stared at her. "Does this someone have a name?"

"Sophie. Sophie Rainer."

And just like Tony, Abby and Jen turned white as a ghost. Abby looked at Jenny, who then looked at Taylor.

"Okay. Can you please tell me what is going on? You guys look as if you've just seen a ghost and that is what Tony's reaction was, too."

No response from either of the women.

"Guys? What's wrong? If there's something I should know about my uncle and this Sophie, I really think you should tell me. Please."

Abby remained silent and kept looking between Taylor and Jen. Then finally, after a few moments, she sighed, and nodded to Jenny, signaling that she should explain, starting from the beginning.

This made Jen sigh. She finally looked back to Taylor, who by now had a worry stricken look on her face.

"Taylor, sweetie, please stay calm. Everything is fine. It's just a long story." Jenny reassured the teen.

Abby nodded in agreement. "A really long story."

"Well, ladies, I've got all day."

Both women took a deep breath, and Jen made her way around to the front of her desk.

"Well, Taylor, first of all, her name isn't Sophie."

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><p>I know, I have A LOT of explaining to do . . . it should all be explained in the next few chapters. Please review!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Sorry for the short chapter. The next one will be better. Promise. Please review. Reviews help me write faster, and they often give me purpose to write longer chapters. And by reviews I don't mean one word reviews. I am open to all criticism. All of it. It's good for me. Okay, enough rambling. Onward!**

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><p>Tony was hungry. He hadn't had any breakfast and it was nearing 2 in the afternoon. He <em>needed<em> food.

"I'm going on a lunch run? You guys want anything?"

No response from anyone.

"Alright then. If Taylor asks- . . ."

"We'll tell her were you are." Both McGee and Kate completed his sentence as the continued with the post case paperwork.

Tony sat down in a little diner in Georgetown. He didn't really know why he chose this place for lunch, but he wasn't really thinking about food anymore. His mind had returned to the slip of paper in his pocket. The one with _her_ number on it.

"Well, it's not going to get any easier." He mumbled to himself as he removed the paper from his pocket.

He looked at it for a moment, as if debating on putting it off a little while longer, then he hesitantly pulled out his phone and dialed.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hello?"

Tony let out a sigh of relief. All of his nerves suddenly calmed and it was as if she was sitting right in front of him. It was her.

"Ziva." He breathed her name as if to tell himself that it was truly her.

"Tony."

"Hi." He stammered, with a goofy smile making its way to his face.

"How, uh, how is Gibbs? How are, uh, you, Tony?"

"Gibbs is, well, Gibbs. And I am . . . I, uh, a lot's changed, since, uh, I last saw you."

"It has been a while, Tony."

"Yeah, it has. Hey, Ziva?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, if you were still in D.C., and all, would you like to have dinner with me? We could catch up, and maybe watch a movie for old times' sake?"

"I don't think that your lady friend would like that, Tony."

"Lady friend? What are you talking about, Ziva?"

"The woman who answered your phone yesterday. Or have you already forgotten?"

Tony's eyes went wide, like a deer in headlights. _Taylor_.

"Oh my God, Zi. No, no, no. That _woman _you spoke with yesterday? That was my niece, Taylor."

Ziva scoffed on the other end of the line.

"Oh really. And how old is this Taylor?"

"She's sixteen, Ziva." Tony said in a serious tone.

He heard her shut up like a clam.

"How about I meet you at the old diner in Georgetown tomorrow. 8 o'clock. Okay?" Tony asked, pleadingly.

No reply.

He sighed.

"I'll bring Taylor. So I can show you that I am not lying."

"Okay. I will be there." She said reluctantly.

"And Ziva?"

"What?"

"I am bringing her, not to prove that she is my niece, but because right now, Taylor's up in Jen's office, with her and Abs, and she's probably asking if they know why a woman named _Sophie Rainer_ called my apartment yesterday asking for me, and why I was so shocked when she told me Sophie had called."

"And they've probably told her everything." Ziva finished his thoughts, as she always did, because that's what partners do.

"I should probably go now, Ziva. I need to head back to work. Paperwork. So, can I expect you tomorrow?"

"Okay. Yes, Tony. I'll see you then."

"Okay. Bye, Zi."

"Bye, Tony."

_Crap_.

_Taylor knows that she called. That probably means Jen knows, which means Abby knows. I have _got_ to get back to the office._


End file.
